Board clarifies preliminary conversations about ninth-grade placement at Upper Bucks tech school
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Summary
Board discussion clarified that conversations about returning ninth graders from the Upper Bucks County Technical School are preliminary and exploratory; no decision was made and administrators said any changes would be collaborative with sending districts and driven by student-success data.
Board members and the superintendent spent a portion of the Nov. 19 meeting discussing recent committee-level consideration of whether sending districts should alter ninth-grade placement at the Upper Bucks County Technical School. Several board members said the topic arose from data and from the tech school indicating concerns about student preparedness; the superintendent and other members stressed the discussions are exploratory and that no policy decision had been made.
Superintendent Dr. Friedman and committee members emphasized the need to focus on student success and to examine completion and success rates across multiple sending districts before taking action. The administration said it will pursue additional data verification with the tech school and other sending districts and will consult on case-by-case determinations rather than a blanket pullback of ninth graders.
Board members raised a mix of reactions: some described the conversation as a healthy review of programming and an opportunity to consider additional supports for students, while others warned against limiting access to the vocational-technical pathway. The board agreed to continue the conversation in committee and to consider a joint meeting with other sending-district boards after the New Year.